College of Human Ecology, Cornell University • Volume 39, Number 2 • Fall 2011
The College’s New High-Tech Building Innovative spaces allow faculty to work across disciplines and take research in new directions. page 4
Volume 39, Number 2 Fall 2011 Published by the New York State College of Human Ecology at Cornell University Alan Mathios, PhD Rebecca Q. and James C. Morgan Dean, College of Human Ecology John McKain Assistant Dean for Communications Ted Boscia Assistant Director, Communications Cornell’s College of Human Ecology publishes this magazine to illustrate how its programs address complex societal issues to improve the human condition. This mission of human improvement is accomplished through faculty initiatives in research, outreach, and teaching— with an emphasis on an ecological perspective, collaborative projects, and multidisciplinary curricula within and across five academic units: the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis; the Department of Fiber Science & Apparel Design; the Department of Human Development; the Department of Policy Analysis and Management; and the Division of Nutritional Sciences, a unit shared with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The college includes the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research and the Sloan Program in Health Administration. ISSN 1530-7069. Published by the New York State College of Human Ecology. Third-class postage paid at Ithaca, N.Y. Reprinting: Unless otherwise noted, permission is granted to reproduce material appearing in this magazine upon notification of the editor, provided that full acknowledgment is made of the source and no change is made without approval. Printed in U.S.A. Produced by University Communications at Cornell University Writers: Karene Booker, Ted Boscia, Sheri Hall, George Lowery, John McKain, and George Preston Managing Editor: Ted Boscia Editor: Liz Bauman Designer: Laurie Ray Photography: Cornell University Photography, Mark Vorreuter Change of Address: To ensure uninterrupted delivery, write to Cornell University, College of Human Ecology, Box HE, Ithaca, NY 148503-4401, a month in advance of your move and provide old and new addresses. Beginning in spring 2011, Human Ecology magazine will be distributed free of charge to subscribers.
©2011 Cornell University
Students analyzed hundreds of material samples for sustainability, durability, aesthetics, and other factors in planning for the interiors of the Human Ecology Commons. ON THE COVER: Professors Huiju Park, Susan Ashdown, David Feathers, and Alan Hedge on the terrace outside the new Human Ecology Building.
What’s i InShort 2
An Uncommon Vision
‘Living-Learning Lab’ approach lets students imagine the hub of the Human Ecology community.
10 Cover Story Building Connections Faculty and students are advancing science and design in the college’s new high-tech facility.
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Transforming the Power of Plants 3D Views
Scientist Anil Netravali creates plant-based composites, some stronger than steel, for use in sporting goods, buildings, medicine, and more.
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Cornell University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action educator and employer. 10/11 3201 M EL 110417
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Building for Success We have only begun to see the success that the new Human Ecology Building can support as labs, classrooms, and teaching spaces are coming on line. Students and faculty members are now fully engaged in their work in the new building, where the multidisciplinary nature of the college’s mission is on full display through faculty collaborations, engaged interactive teaching, and student-led designs. When I consider all of the positive developments for our research program, our roots in service learning and public engagement are never far from my mind. This year we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of Cornell Cooperative Extension. The critical support and partnership from Cornell Cooperative Extension is ever so valuable to the future success of the new Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research, which opened this fall. As you read this issue of Human Ecology, it is clear that our academic and research programs remain at the center of key cross-college collaborations with exciting results. At the same time, new facilities, new faculty, and new centers at the college create tremendous opportunities to advance our mission in new and important ways. It is a pleasure to share this issue of Human Ecology with you.
inside. . .
Alan D. Mathios, Rebecca Q. and James C. Morgan Dean
New Bronfenbrenner Center Seeks to Link Research and Policy
20 Researchers Connect Gene to Precondition for Alzheimer’s
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‘One Great Idea’: 100 Years of Cornell Cooperative Extension
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Afterword Facilities that Fit the College’s Long-Term Mission
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Iscol Program Marks 10 Years of Inspiring Students to Serve
23 New Faculty Infuse College with Diverse Expertise
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In Short Noble chosen ‘Centennial Friend of Extension’ Lucinda “Cindy” Noble, professor emerita of policy analysis and management and former director of Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE), was named a “Centennial Friend of Extension,” as CCE celebrates 100 years of operations in 2011. In 1954, Noble began her work with CCE with a focus on human development and community education. She later served as CCE director for 15 years—becoming the country’s first woman to lead a cooperative extension system—before retiring from Cornell in 1995. Noble, a past recipient of the annual “Friend of Extension” award, will be honored Oct. 14 at CCE’s systemwide professional development conference.
Nutrition researchers seek insights on ‘freshman 15’ With unlimited dining, late nights, and no parental oversight, new college students may experience the “freshman 15,” extra weight that presumably accumulates from such lifestyle changes. Division of Nutritional Sciences researchers, led by associate professor Patricia Cassano and division director Patrick Stover, this fall launched a pilot project to follow 400 volunteers from Cornell’s Class of 2015, selected Frongillo randomly, to track their eating habits, physical activity, and overall health through their first year on campus, a critical transition period from home to independent living. Cassano hopes this year’s pilot project, known as Engaging Health, Agriculture, and Nutrition through the Cornell Experience (EnHANCE), will set the table for a comprehensive, long-term study to follow a future Cornell class for all four years of college and beyond.
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Older adults more willing to wait for financial rewards Compared with younger people, older adults tend to report they are more upbeat and that their emotions and mental health do not interfere with their work and social life. Their sunnier outlook allows them to wait longer for a monetary gain, reports a new study in Psychology and Aging led by Corinna Loeckenhoff, the Lois and Mel Tukman Assistant Professor in Human Development. Younger people, on the other hand, are more impatient when it comes to waiting for financial rewards. “Understanding this [phenomenon] better would have implications for a host of important choices, such as saving for retirement and choosing medical care,” Loeckenhoff says.
Junior awarded Rawlings scholarship for ‘red room’ research Emily Mitchell ’13, an interior design student in the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis, was chosen one of Cornell’s newest Rawlings presidential scholars for her study of “red room”—the archetypal name for a room in which all walls are rendered in a monochromatic red. Mitchell, who saw her first “red room” during a class project last year while studying a London home interior, is part of the Interior Archetypes Research and Teaching Project (Intypes), a research group overseen by design and environmental analysis professor Jan Jennings. The Intypes Project has been creating a common language for interior designers and architects since 1997, identifying practices that have been used throughout history and across cultures but that were not formally named or documented.
New program puts at-risk youth on college path A new program called CITIZEN U, funded by a five-year, $660,000 grant, supports at-risk youth to become active citizens in their communities, graduate from high school, and go on to college. The program, a joint effort of Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) and the College of Human Ecology funded by the Children, Youth, and Families at Risk Program at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, is structured to mirror a university setting, where teens enroll in weekly afterschool lessons taught by volunteers from CCE, community agencies, and local businesses. CITIZEN U (short for both “CITIZEN YOU” and “CITIZEN University”) also aims to build the capacity of local partners to successfully conduct and sustain youth community action programs and make lasting contributions to high-need communities in Binghamton and Rochester, N.Y.
Elders’ wisdom shared through website and book For the past six years, gerontologist Karl Pillemer, the Hazel E. Reed Professor in Human Development, has collected life lessons from more than 1,200 older people, about one-third of whom are Cornell alumni. Now he’s sharing their wisdom with the world through a website, The Legacy Project (http://legacyproject.human. cornell.edu), which includes advice on love and marriage, work and career, raising children, aging and the end of life, spirituality, and many other matters. Pillemer has a related book, 30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans, due to be published by the Penguin Group in November.
4-H welcomes new youth development leader Valerie Adams became New York’s 4-H Youth Development Program leader and assistant director of Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) in August. Adams oversees 4-H, the youth component of CCE, supported by staff in 57 counties and New York City and thousands of volunteer leaders across the state, and also connects extensive countylevel programs with the research-based resources of Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and College of Human Ecology. A former 4-H educator in Philadelphia, Adams has worked with numerous youth outreach and education programs and as a lecturer in Namibia. “[My role] provides a wonderful opportunity to work with a dynamic group of people—researchers, educators, volunteers, and administrators who are passionate and vested in supporting and creating programs that result in positive youth development programming for 4-H participants across the state,” Adams said.
Cawley edits new reference book on obesity findings John Cawley, professor of policy analysis and management, is the editor of the newly released volume, The Oxford Handbook of the Social Science of Obesity, a critical reference for obesity researchers, public health officials, policymakers, nutritionists, and medical practitioners seeking to better understand the causes and consequences of obesity, and to learn what works to prevent or reduce obesity. The 912-page book summarizes the findings and insights of obesity-related research from the full range of social sciences including anthropology, economics, government, psychology, and sociology. Cawley, an expert in the economics of obesity, is co-director of the College of Human Ecology’s Institute on Health Economics, Health Behaviors, and Disparities.
Red tape costs U.S. doctors four times what Canadian physicians pay Sean Nicholson, professor of policy analysis and management, co-authored a study that finds that American medical practices spend $82,975 each per year dealing with insurance companies and government entities—roughly four times the $22,205 spent on average by Ontario doctors. The paper, published in the August 2011 issue of the journal Health Affairs, attributes the cost differences mainly to Canada’s simpler single-payer system, whereas U.S. practices grapple with different sets of regulations, procedures, requirements, formularies, and forms mandated by each health insurance plan or payer. “It’s the nurse time and the clerical time, rather than physician time, that’s different . . . and is driving the increased costs,” Nicholson said.
SUNY honors faculty and staff members for excellence Three Human Ecology staff and faculty members are among 296 recipients of the 2011 Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence given by the State University of New York (SUNY) system for distinction in the performance of their duties. They are: Marianella Casasola, associate professor of human development (Excellence in Teaching); Donald Kenkel, professor of policy analysis and management (Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities); and Kristine Mahoney, director of facilities and operations management (Excellence in Professional Service). Volume 39, Number 2
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Faculty and students are advancing science and design in the college’s new high-tech facility.
Building Connections BY TED BOSCIA
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The new Human Ecology Building is the crown jewel of the college, an 89,000-square-foot facility loaded with high-tech research laboratories; versatile classrooms; inspirational studios for drawing, design, and fabrication; a spacious gallery to display student and faculty works; and community spaces and seminar rooms to spark idea exchanges. The building is also the new home for the Department of Fiber Science and Apparel Design (FSAD), with administrative offices clustered on the terrace level and faculty offices and labs on the three main floors. There are studios for every step of the apparel design and production process, as well as labs for the development of specialty textiles and biomaterials. Of all the building’s remarkable features, however, the first floor stands out the most to Kay Obendorf, senior associate dean of research and graduate education and the faculty lead for the college’s facilities master plan. “The floor is extraordinary and fulfills a dream of integration across the departments in the college,” she said. Inside, scientists are examining nearly every aspect of human performance and health—from nanofibers for protective clothing to threedimensional scans of body sizes and movements, from cognitive changes in older adults to safer building materials. In specialized temperaturecontrolled labs, students and faculty perform textile testing and studies in workplace ergonomics, and researchers from across the college can access a group of shared spaces for human-participant studies and focus groups. “There’s a commingling of research units and faculty expertise that matches the character of Human Ecology, where we reach across disciplines to work on common issues,” Obendorf said.
Simulating the human environment The approach is perhaps best exemplified by a suite of research spaces, known collectively as the Simulation and Human Engineering Design (SHED) labs, shared by apparel designers Susan Ashdown and Huiju Park, ergonomics researcher Alan Hedge, and human-body biomechanics expert David Feathers. The quartet expects to blend their expertise and resources to explore questions at the intersection of ergonomics, clothing design, and human body movements. Together, for instance, they can investigate stimuli affecting the health and comfort of office workers. In Hedge’s climate-controlled lab, they’ll study the effect of changes in temperature and humidity and use video scanners and modeling software to capture anthropometric data as participants carry out everyday tasks, such as typing and moving a computer mouse. With 3-D body and hand scanners, Ashdown strives to > > >
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Human Ecology professors in the SHED Lab use an electro-mechanical anthropometer to obtain 3-D images of humans engaged in everyday tasks, such as using tablet devices, to better understand how such movements affect comfort, safety, productivity, and other factors. Human Ecology • Cornell University
3-D images of human hands scanned in the new Human Ecology Building. The blue landmarks indicate joint centers. Multiple scans of the same hand in different working positions can provide anthropometric data useful for collaborative SHED research team projects.
improve the fit and design of functional apparel, while Feathers studies how humans interact with products and environments. Park, one of the college’s newest faculty members, uses a motion-sensor scanner to develop smart clothing. Their collaborations hold promise for better product design, enhanced office arrangements, and more comfortable and functional clothing. “The chair you sit in, the clothes you wear, the built environment that surrounds you, and what happens as you move about the space—all of these are interrelated and have a great impact on human performance,” said Ashdown, the Helen G. Canoyer Professor in Fiber Science and Apparel Design. “There are labs that investigate these factors in isolation, but this is the first place where you can study these four things all at once.” Hedge, professor of design and environmental analysis, and his students are monitoring the relationship between air quality and fatigue—an ideal opportunity to partner with fiber scientists Juan Hinestroza and Anil Netravali, both of whom are developing nanomaterials for air filters in buildings and clothing. A visiting professor is developing new gloves for astronauts in the Chinese space program. “When these fields come together, there are many opportunities to study interactions among our bodies, our clothing, and our environments,” said Feathers, assistant professor of design and environmental analysis. “We have different backgrounds, but the common ground is that we’re working on improving how people live and work.” For fiber scientist Margaret Frey, the greatest benefit of the new building is that it helps turn conversations into collaborations. Frey uses electrospinning, a nanoscale
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process, to produce ultra-fine functional fibers with a range of uses for pest control in agriculture, biohazard sensing, and protective clothing. Her research depends on partnerships with faculty across campus, and she says the new building’s visibility makes it easier to connect. “If I’m crossing campus and run into someone from entomology, I can invite them that minute to come look at what we’re doing in the lab,” said Frey, associate professor of fiber science and apparel design. “In science, the real innovations are coming from these kinds of connections, not the lone researcher in the lab.” To date, Frey has partnered with faculty members from entomology, horticulture, biomedical engineering, and other fields on custom-designed polymers. In the new building’s textiles testing lab, she and collaborators can run experiments with precise climate controls—a critical need because such natural fabrics as wool and cotton are susceptible to slight changes in temperature and humidity. “Collaborations are so important because a problem that may seem very difficult to me often has an obvious solution to someone in another discipline who is looking at it from a different perspective,” Frey added. A window to the past—and present For all its modern marvels, the new Human Ecology Building also holds some historic treasures. Charlotte Jirousek, associate professor of fiber science and apparel design, curates the Cornell Costume and Textile Collection, with more than 9,000 garments dating from the 18th century to present day. Among the pieces: a beaded dress once worn by Martha Van Rensselaer, a colorful
Students Larissa Buttaro (left) and Sun Young Park (right) work with FSAD associate professor Margaret Frey on electrospinning equipment in Frey’s functional fiber spinning lab. Charlotte Jirousek, curator of the Cornell Costume and Textile Collection, shows off a traditional Romanian wedding dress, one of the collection’s many treasures.
Romanian wedding ensemble, Eleanor Roosevelt’s second inaugural ball gown, and extensive examples of contemporary couture. In fact, not just the Jill Stuart Gallery but the entire Thirty of the most prized items have been collected in a building is designed to invite the public to discover the special exhibit, “Student Choice: Selections by Students Past research and creative activities occurring within. College and Present from the Cornell Costume and Textile planners worked with architecture firm Gruzen Samton to Collection,” installed in the entry hall display cases during develop an open floor plan with glass walls and corridors the fall semester. Five current students and ten alumni, some lined with tackable surfaces to display sketches and research of whom now work on the curatorial staff at major art and posters so that the building tells fashion museums, assisted Jirousek the story of Human Ecology’s with the display. “Their selections “There’s a commingling of research innovation and scholarship. provide a wonderful overview of the “The guiding architectural units and faculty expertise that rich variety that the collection has to philosophy is to bring the matches the character of Human offer,” Jirousek said. research and teaching that occurs Previously, the collection was tucked Ecology, where we reach across within the college up to the away in Martha Van Rensselaer Hall, surface for all to see,” said disciplines to work on common far from the FSAD teaching spaces. Kristine Mahoney, director of issues. . . . the whole building is But the alumni display and the facilities and operations collection’s prominent location in the intentionally designed to foster management for the college. new building will raise awareness of these types of collaborations.” this valuable resource. Students and researchers use the collection to study —Kay Obendorf Tools for teaching and research cultural and historical aspects of textile and apparel design or to seek It’s the middle of the semester inspiration for their own creations. and Paul Eshelman is still grinning about the wood and “I expect that more students will find their way to us and metal shop in the new building—more than 3,000 square take advantage of the resources we have to offer to designers feet packed with sophisticated tools and a large assembly as well as those interested in dress and material culture,” room for students to construct furniture and other models Jirousek said. from the pieces they design in the adjacent shop. For the first time in recent years, the college also has a The new space has enhanced his collaborative design gallery to present student and faculty works. The Jill Stuart studio course, which he has co-taught with professor Gary Gallery, made possible by a generous gift from Stuart, a Evans for numerous years. Evans’s social science students noted fashion designer, and her husband, Ron Curtis, has team with Eshelman’s design students to build researchalready hosted the annual Barbara L. Kuhlman Foundation’s based design interventions for a local Head Start, and by Fiber Arts and Wearable Arts Exhibition, which features semester’s end they will have manufactured furniture pieces original student “artwear.” Its location, between the that help promote cognitive, physical, and social building’s main entrance and the hallway that leads into the development in children at the center’s preschool. Human Ecology Commons, offers students “a prominent “The shop setup is absolutely awesome—beyond a dream public setting to display their designs and to give the come true,” said Eshelman, professor of design and community an opportunity to appreciate and respond to environmental analysis. “The combination of a shop and their creations,” according to Obendorf. assembly studio in one place significantly enhances learning
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opportunities for students and the range of work they can do. When I’m here, they can fabricate parts for their models in the shop, and then assemble them on their own time, whenever is convenient.” Shop rules require faculty to supervise students using heavy equipment. Recently, Eshelman and other design faculty had been using Cornell’s High Voltage Laboratory for class projects. But their access was limited because of its distance from campus, and it was shared among many departments. The new shop, on the other hand, provides immediate access for students during and outside of class. It also contains tools for a wide range of projects: computer-driven routers; small saws for detailed work; a paint room; storage spaces; and sanders, drill presses, and lathes. And, for times when they’re lacking inspiration, there is a panoramic window with views of Beebe Lake. “It’s rewarding to know that the college is making such a significant investment in design activities in the new building,” Eshelman said. Two floors above the wood and metal shop, on the terrace level, students and faculty are focused on a different product: clothing. Near the main entrance, students work in a drawing studio that is filled with abundant natural light, which helps them perceive color. Connected to the space are two more apparel studios with industrial equipment for patternmaking, draping, and fabrication. Across the corridor is a computeraided-design (CAD) facility, and one floor above is a lab for applying surface designs to textiles.
“The chair you sit in, the clothes you wear, the built environment that surrounds you, and what happens as you move about the space . . . There are labs that investigate these factors in isolation, but this is the first place where you can study these four things all at once.” —Susan Ashdown “It is seamless how the spaces flow from one area to the next,” said Ashdown, who will teach in the apparel studio in the spring. In those spaces, student designers learn the latest methods for garment-making on modern equipment as well as traditional techniques. One studio includes a snap setter press from the 1930s alongside a bonding machine that uses sound waves to create threadless seams and textured patterns on fabric. Overhead lights and cameras allow instructors to record and project intricate fabric details to the entire class. At the same time, the building contains multipurpose teaching spaces: a “wet lab” for courses in fiber science and nutrition where students handle substances that require proper ventilation and safety measures and a “dry lab” for courses without such special needs. Both are equipped with adjacent storage areas and modular furnishings, so faculty can easily adapt the room to their instructional needs.
DEA professor Paul Eshelman (center) works with students in the wood and metal shop in the new building.
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In the spring, Marla Lujan, assistant professor of nutritional sciences, will teach a course in the wet lab on human anatomy and physiology, where students work directly on microscopic anatomy, dissections, and clinical case studies. She is anticipating the ability to configure the space to match the class activities. “Because students rotate through various teaching stations over each lab, we are looking forward to the flexibility that will be afforded to us by the space,” she said. “In the past, we have been restricted by spaces that were not always conducive to small group interactions and break-out sessions.” Most of all, the design of the new Human Ecology Building integrates the college’s teaching and research in ways that were not possible after the sudden loss of the Martha Van Rensselaer North building in 2001 due to structural deficiencies. Classes and experiments occur under the same roof and in close proximity to faculty offices, bringing research alive for undergraduate students. In the dry lab, David Feathers is teaching Biomechanics and the Built Environment, his course on the effects on the body’s musculoskeletal system as people move through their surroundings. When he wants to reinforce a theory from a lesson with a concrete example, “I can just stop class and walk them down the hall to my lab,” he said. “We have cutting-edge labs right next to our teaching spaces, meaning students get the benefit of hands-on experiential learning and more interactive courses,” Feathers added. “It’s all right there for the students.” • • •
For more information: Susan Ashdown spa4@cornell.edu In the new surface design laboratory, apparel design junior Matilda Ceesay applies beads to her creation for the Kuhlman Wearable Arts Exhibition.
Paul Eshelman pee2@cornell.edu Gary Evans gwe1@cornell.edu David Feathers djf222@cornell.edu
Paul Eshelman is still grinning about the wood and metal shop in the new building—more than 3,000 square feet packed with sophisticated tools and a large assembly room for students to construct furniture and other models from the pieces they design in the adjacent shop.
Margaret Frey mfw24@cornell.edu Alan Hedge ah29@cornell.edu Charlotte Jirousek caj7@cornell.edu Kay Obendorf sko3@cornell.edu Marla Lujan mel245@cornell.edu Huiju Park hp347@cornell.edu
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‘Living-Learning Lab’ approach lets students imagine the hub of the Human Ecology community.
An Uncommon Vision BY TED BOSCIA
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The Human Ecology Commons—the expansive interior space linking historic Martha Van Rensselaer Hall and the new Human Ecology Building—is fast becoming the heart of the college. It’s a place where “you feel comfortable taking your shoes off,” according to senior associate dean for research and graduate education Kay Obendorf. With its adaptable furniture, cloud-like ceiling forms, abundant natural light, sustainable features, and interactive media wall, the Commons offers a relaxed atmosphere that invites students, faculty, staff, and visitors to gather and connect. There’s a dining area with spillover seating from Martha’s Café, which, during frigid Ithaca winters, will be a refuge for students traveling to and from the North Campus residence halls. At 5,000-plus square feet, the Commons can accommodate everything from large gatherings and special events to impromptu late-night study sessions or lunch meetings. To get every element of the Commons just right, the college turned to a team of experts—its own senior interior design students in the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis (DEA). Their charge: to work with college administrators, facilities professionals, and architects at Gruzen Samton to plan a space that reflects such core values of Human Ecology as sustainability, accessibility, research, innovation, and community. Also on the list: a one-of-a-kind space. “We wanted to create something that was unique to Human Ecology, that didn’t look like anywhere else on campus,” said Kristin Malyak ’10, MS ’11, one of the student designers. “We wanted something people would notice the instant they walked in.” No doubt they succeeded—the result is “the perfect community space our college has always needed,” said Alan Mathios, the Rebecca Q. and James C. Morgan Dean of the College of Human Ecology. But the path was not easy. By the end, the students had performed extensive research on the current and future needs of the college, taken significant creative risks, and grappled with the pressure to deliver within budget on a highly complex project. “Every decision the students made has a critical argument behind it, and every design element was carefully researched and planned,” said DEA lecturer Leah Scolere, who led the senior interior design studio that planned the Commons. “The students approached the project with the idea of creating a design that resonates with the culture of the college and anticipating how the space will be able to evolve as the college evolves.” > > > Lecturer Leah Scolere (center), along with students Courtney Cheng (left) and Kristin Malyak, show off the innovative mesh cloud forms—the Commons’ signature element.
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AT RIGHT: (Clockwise from top left) Inspiration for the interior textiles; design team’s sketches of furniture choices; human scale compared to varied ceiling heights; fabric options for the building’s interior; model of a proposed design for the Commons’ ceiling; students look at images during a visioning session.
Kay Obendorf (right) participates in a visioning session with Kristine Mahoney; a model used in the visioning session.
Design for students, by students The clouds above Ever since the north addition of Martha Van Rensselaer In January 2010, as Scolere’s class set to work on the (MVR) Hall closed suddenly in 2001 due to structural Commons, they faced many challenges: how could their deficiencies, the college lacked a location for students, design help link two buildings erected almost 80 years apart? faculty, and staff to come together. Planners at the State How would the class align their ideas for the space with the University of New York Construction Fund eagerly financed architects’ vision? In what ways could they incorporate the new building, with its great capacity to support teaching, sustainability into every aspect of the design? research, and outreach critical to the college’s mission. But Perhaps most vexing was the question of how to make the the state plans did not include the Commons, so the college Commons more intimate, with its 21-foot-high ceilings and allotted funds specifically for the long, narrow footprint. space. “We were struggling with how “The students approached the “The college leadership saw to bring the scale down to a more project with the idea of creating a community as a definite need and human level,” said student made the investment for the Courtney Cheng ’10, MA ’11, “so design that resonates with the Commons to be part of the new it wouldn’t seem like this big, culture of the college and building project,” said Kristine empty room.” anticipating how the space will be Mahoney, director of facilities and Cheng sketched her basic idea operations management. for a solution, varied ceiling able to evolve as the college With the college committed to the evolves.” heights that would make the new space, Mahoney and Scolere —Leah Scolere space less cavernous and more agreed to an exceptional class project conducive to human interactions. for Scolere’s senior studio: defining a Cheng’s inspiration grew into the vision for the Commons interiors in conjunction with space’s signature element: the translucent, asymmetrical Gruzen Samton. clouds layered beneath the “starry night” ceiling lights Mahoney did not hesitate to entrust the high-profile specified by the architects. project to a group of undergraduates. Mahoney and her team The mesh cloud forms are innovative and visually had collaborated with students on Lounge 159, a customstunning, but that’s not the only reason the students designed study space that opened in 2007 in the west recommended them. They first analyzed a host of addition of MVR Hall. Facilities planning and management alternatives, with shipping, installation, and maintenance students have also interned with Mahoney’s team, studying influencing the final material choice. how to make the college’s physical plant and ongoing The students selected Kaynemaile, a New Zealand renovation projects more environmentally friendly. company that makes a fully recyclable mesh that’s been used By making students active partners in facilities and for oil spill cleanups, to custom-build the pieces. Its operations—a core function of the college—Human Ecology polycarbonate netting is lightweight, making shipping easy gives them a rare academic experience. This so-called and sustainable, and could be installed without additional “Living-Learning Lab” method allows undergraduates to structural supports on the roof deck. research, plan, and enhance the same facilities where they “It took them a while to get it right, but the final solution gather and study. can be traced back to the diagram Courtney first created of “The sheer act of seeing the building in which one works the ceiling,” Scolere said. “She fought for the need to add the and lives in schematic, 2-D form via plans and sections is a human scale and would not let that idea die.” critical learning experience that helps students translate from Such insights came from the teamwork approach cultivated the abstract to the real,” Mahoney said. by Scolere, who organized the class as if they were a
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A varied ceiling height will help bring down the scale of the space to a more relatable level; it will also help define the areas of usage within the space.
professional design firm. They started the semester in four teams, each tasked with creating an early concept of the space. For their first assignment, the students planned and presented activities for a three-hour “visioning session� to elicit the needs of their clients, Obendorf and Mahoney, the college’s leaders on the building plans. That resulted in a list of design principles: five key insights, such as sustainability, that would drive the process. Equipped with a clear understanding of the college’s wants
and needs for the space, the teams reassembled for the next step: preparing what Scolere called “Big Idea� concepts for the use of the Commons. Making their pitch In their first proposal for the Commons, Abbey Kesten ’10 and two classmates advocated for a design that would encourage users to linger and interact, what they called “the
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Design Principles Key points of the visioning session 1. Lively “living laboratory” 2. Tell the story of Human Ecology 3. Authenticity and purity 4. Use of traditional elements in a progressive manner 5. Sustainability
Two proposals advanced after the initial presentations, and the students consolidated into two five-person teams to work on the most promising concepts. “The experience was very real to the professional world,” Student working through the design process. said Scolere, a DEA alumna who worked for five years as an associate at Gensler, a global architecture firm. “There are many times where you’ll be asked to switch teams and to slow concept.” They created a 27-page narrative filled with identify your strengths and weaknesses so you can figure out renderings, design philosophies, options for materials, and how to contribute to the project. For seniors preparing to go critical arguments in support of their vision. But the real from college to the workplace, it’s a critical skill to be able to challenge, Kesten found, was winning over her clients. adapt your thinking and work on teams effectively.” “If I learned one thing from the Commons project, it was As the studio progressed, the students strengthened their that a design is only as good as its presentation,” said Kesten, proposals with independent research. They did spatial now an interior designer at STUDIOS Architecture. “Clients analyses of other community spaces on campus to study peak are not mind readers, and the better you convey your ideas, traffic periods and usage patterns. The groups also the more they understand the incredible designs you have investigated a comprehensive envisioned. I became half materials palette— designer, half saleswoman.” The students faced many challenges: recommendations for sustainable, A few weeks into the semester, how could their design help link two innovative materials that would each of the four teams presented buildings erected almost 80 years respond to the surrounding detailed proposals to explain architecture. their “Big Ideas” and to give apart? How would the class align their By semester’s end, the teams recommendations for lighting, ideas for the space with the architects’ had developed two distinct furniture, accessories, ceiling options for the Commons floor solutions, communications needs, vision? In what ways could they plan. To solve the problem of and other elements. incorporate sustainability into every connecting old and new “They explored techniques to aspect of the design? structures, both concepts called help the client imagine the for three overlapping zones to possibilities of the Commons and provide subtle transitions of to create buy-in,” Scolere said. form, materiality, and function. Nearest MVR Hall and Martha’s Café is the dining area, in the center is the “formal living room,” and closer to the new Human Ecology Building are pause points and open space meant to spur informal interactions. “One of my favorite aspects of the project was the similarity between the two solutions because it showed how well both teams listened to their clients,” Kesten said. “Furthermore, we created two unique solutions stemming from diverse concepts that ultimately fulfilled the same requirements. The resulting options left the clients with a pretty incredible choice in front of them.” Both plans were met with great approval by the college leadership in May 2010. Still, it seemed the hard work was just beginning. That summer, the college hired Scolere as a design consultant, along with Cheng, Malyak, and Erin Johnson ’10, a third student from the studio, as interns. The team met Students and lecturer Leah Scolere (left) toured the site in its early regularly with Mahoney to create a final proposal that construction to plan their ideas for the space. blended the best ideas from the two class concepts. Mahoney connected them with consultants and manufacturers’ representatives to refine the design detailing and develop
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Human Ecology • Cornell University
final specifications for the materials. In discussions with Gruzen Samton, they resolved discrepancies between the studio vision for the Commons and the building floor plan. “What made it challenging was that the students had architectural plans that they had to respond to and respect,” Mahoney said. “They had to work hard to adapt their ideas to the practical realities of the project.” Cheng, Malyak, and Johnson presented their final plan for the Commons interiors to the college leadership in late August 2010. Their vision was met with great excitement, and it has ultimately served to transform the space into one that is uniquely Human Ecology. “The students brought an intense Students eat and study in the new Commons and adjoining courtyard. passion to the project, knowing that they had the chance to work on a space for the entire college community,” Few undergraduate students can claim that they have Obendorf said. “They also added a deep understanding of the worked with their college administration and outside planners values of the college and brought the perspectives of to design and implement a major facilities project. students—the primary users of the space. The students “At the beginning, we weren’t sure if we would be taken pushed the college to be more creative and progressive and seriously,” Cheng said. “It’s a surprise when you see that your contributed ideas to the project that no outside consultant work is on the level of professional architects and your ideas could.” end up influencing the final design. It gives you a lot of confidence that you can succeed heading out into the design industry.” • • •
For more information: Kristine Mahoney km285@cornell.edu Kay Obendorf sko3@cornell.edu Members of the design team assess potential fabric samples for the Commons.
Leah Scolere lms43@cornell.edu
Volume 39, Number 2
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Scientist Anil Netravali creates plant-based composites, some stronger than steel, for use in sporting goods, buildings, medicine, and more.
Transforming the Power of Plants BY SHERI HALL
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It was the early 1990s when Anil Netravali began his career at the College of Human Ecology as a fiber scientist. At the time, carbon, glass, and Kevlar composites were remaking electronics, sporting goods, military vehicles, medical devices, and other products. Netravali was developing stronger, lighter composite materials for the aerospace industry. As a scientist, Netravali enjoyed success, including two patent-winning discoveries. Even so, he started to have second thoughts about his work. “We were developing these composite materials with great properties, but they had some serious problems as well,” he said. “Most of them are derived from petroleum, a resource that we are quickly depleting. They are not biodegradable and nearly impossible to recycle or reuse. When you break your carbon-fiber tennis racket, it’s going to end up in a landfill, where it will stay for several decades, maybe even centuries.” Soon Netravali began to think about how to recreate the properties of petroleum-based composites with a renewable resource. Before long, he had his answer: plants. “When you think about it, plants are the one replacement that is renewable, nontoxic, and nonpolluting,” he said. “If you can find a way to use plant-based materials, they are safe. And at the end of their lifespan, you can simply compost them.” Netravali’s laboratory in the Department of Fiber Science and Apparel Design has since developed more than a dozen new types of plant-based materials used in a wide variety of commercial applications, from skateboards to furniture to products for the health care industry. “Companies are interested in ‘green’ products,” he said. “This is a good thing, because it is a problem we have to solve. If we don’t, nature will do it for us when we run out of petroleum.” > > >
Anil Netravali (left) teamed up with Cornell chemical engineer Yong Joo to develop compostable, highefficiency air and water filters made of nanofibers derived from soybeans and other inexpensive crops.
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Human Ecology • Cornell University
Volume 39, Number 2
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Netravali is refining the filter-making process with Sunayna Jain, a fiber science graduate student, to use soy flour, soy’s least-expensive form.
Nanofibers for filters For Netravali’s latest project, he is partnering with Cornell chemical engineering professor Yong Joo to develop compostable, high-efficiency air and water filters made out of nanofibers that are derived from soybeans and other inexpensive crops. The filters have tiny pores—much smaller than current air filters—so they are better able to capture molecules of dust, bacteria, and viruses. The fibers also carry a natural charge to attract and capture dust particles. Joo and Netravali made the manufacturing process as environmentally friendly as the finished product itself. Creating filters typically uses expensive and toxic solvents,
Jason Salfi ’93, a co-founder of Comet Skateboards, heard about Netravali’s soy-based resin and moved Comet’s manufacturing operation to Ithaca to more easily partner with e2e Materials. which have to be recovered and recycled. But the process they developed, called electrospinning, uses only water and protein derived from soy flour, with a supply of electricity. When the electricity is applied to the solution, the liquid forms a jet and deposits a layer of nanofibers on a metal plate. In producing a filter, the nanofiber layer is deposited on a cellulose filter. “Thus the process uses all biodegradable materials,” Joo said. When they are used up, traditional filters are discarded and sent to landfills. But Netravali’s filters can be composted. Sunayna Jain, a fiber science graduate student, worked with Netravali and Joo to refine the filter-making process. “Soy protein is available in three forms,” she said. “Right now I’m trying to develop a way to use soy flour, which is the least expensive soy product, to make the filters.”
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Human Ecology • Cornell University
The concept has been licensed to Axium Nanofibers, a start-up company based in Laguna Beach, Calif., that plans to release Netravali’s air and water filters for use in commercial and residential buildings and most vehicles by the end of 2012. In addition, it will be easy to customize the filters for specific industries, Netravali said. For example, for a health care facility, fabricators can reduce the pore size to capture bacteria and viruses, and also add material that will kill germs on contact. Later this year, Netravali will move his laboratory into the new Human Ecology Building. He expects the state-of-the-art facility and expanded space will allow him to set up his own fiber-spinning operation, where he will continue to refine the green filter technology and add more functions. Skateboards to particle board The compostable filters are not Netravali’s first innovation in sustainability. In 2006, he co-founded e2e Materials in Ithaca to market his plant-based composites and resins to green manufacturers. The company’s first commercial success came with Comet Skateboards, a company committed to making nontoxic skateboards out of renewable materials. Jason Salfi ’93, a cofounder of Comet Skateboards, heard about Netravali’s soybased resin and moved Comet’s manufacturing operation to Ithaca to more easily partner with e2e Materials. “For us, it’s a commitment to the environment,” Salfi said. “This product is a great alternative to the glues that most other companies are using. Sharing space with e2e allowed us to develop the technology a lot faster together.” Next, e2e Materials set out to create an alternative to particle board, which is used in furniture and building construction but often contains resins made from formaldehyde, a carcinogen linked to “sick-building syndrome,” where chemical contaminants trapped inside of a building cause health problems for occupants. Netravali’s replacement material uses a resin made of soy protein, similar to the solution used to make the nanofiber
filters. The resin coats a mat woven of fibers such as jute, bamboo, or hemp, resulting in a material that is stronger than traditional particle board and weighs less. A new green revolution Netravali’s research interests have led him to develop a wide assortment of materials. For that, he credits the collaborative environment at Cornell. “If I have an idea, but I don’t have the expertise, I can just pick up the phone and call someone else on campus,” he said. “They can take it to the next step. It’s the wonderful thing about working at Cornell.” This inclusive approach has led Netravali to develop increasingly diverse products. In recent years, his lab has focused on creating new materials from the waste products obtained from the soy-protein purification process—sugars and unusable residue. So far, he has come up with three new applications. The first two—a coating for seeds that acts as a natural fertilizer and mulch fortified with nutrients—are collaborations with entomology professor Michael Hoffmann and horticulture professor Alan Taylor at Cornell’s New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva. The third is a joint project with Weill Cornell Medical College and the College of Veterinary Medicine that will help patients with severe skin wounds. Netravali and collaborators are using soy carbohydrates to create a bacterial cellulose membrane that can be used to dress burns and deep cuts. It helps reduces scar tissue growth and allows new, soft skin to form more easily. Another Netravali project is to use nanofibrils, highly organized molecules of plant cellulose, to create a resin that, along with high-strength cellulose fibers, can form composites stronger than most varieties of steel. Netravali sees applications for military vehicles and ballistics applications. Developing environmentally friendly products with such a wide range of uses fuels Netravali’s optimism. “It’s great to see that people have begun to think about this new ‘green’ revolution,” he said. “When I started down this path, not many were talking about it. Now companies want
these products, and more and more of our students are dedicated to the idea of sustainability. It’s our students, the young generation, who really make me feel optimistic. When they’re out in the workplace, things will change even more and even faster.” The general public can play a part too, Netravali said, simply by looking out for plant-based products. “If people have their eyes and ears tuned to ‘green,’ they’ll see more and more of these products,” he said. “And the more people buy, the more companies will want to make. That’s how it will happen. And it will happen, because someday we will have no alternative. That ‘someday’ will arrive soon.” • • •
“When you think about it, plants are the one replacement that is renewable, nontoxic, and nonpolluting. If you can find a way to use plant-based materials, they are safe. And at the end of their lifespan, you can simply compost them.”
—Anil Netravali
For more information: Michael Hoffmann mph3@cornell.edu Yong Joo ylj2@cornell.edu Anil Netravali ann2@cornell.edu Alan Taylor agt1@cornell.edu
Volume 39, Number 2
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New Bronfenbrenner Center Seeks to Link Research and Policy
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In a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 30 at Beebe Hall, College of Human Ecology leaders officially opened the new Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research (BCTR), which aims to address pressing human needs by linking social and behavioral scientists with community practitioners and policy experts. Named for famed researcher Urie Bronfenbrenner, a co-founder of the national Head Start program and a world-renowned developmental psychologist who died in 2005, the BCTR formed July 1 with the merger of two longstanding Cornell centers: the Family Life Development Center and the Bronfenbrenner Life Course Center. Its new mission is to extend research-based knowledge to test and Professor John Eckenrode (left), director of the BCTR, celebrates the center’s opening with Alan strengthen community-based Mathios, dean of the College of Human Ecology. programs, practices, and policies, according to BCTR director John Cooperative Extension, the Cornell Office for Research and Eckenrode. Evaluation, Weill Cornell Medical College’s Clinical and “In the spirit of its namesake, the new Bronfenbrenner Translational Science Center, the Cornell Institute for Social Center will bridge the gap between research and practice, and Economic Research, New York 4-H, and many other helping to solve a problem that exists both at Cornell and in campus research and training centers. society at large,” said Eckenrode, professor of human Examples of BCTR activities include: development. “Too often, practitioners view research as • systematic reviews of the scientific literature to inform esoteric and irrelevant, while researchers perceive application new research and guide practitioners and decision-makers; as trivial and unscientific.” • creation and rigorous testing of interventions to promote The BCTR expands the outreach mission of the College of healthy development; Human Ecology to further emphasize translational research, • community outreach and community participation in inviting community members, practitioners, and behavioral science research; policymakers as active participants in the discovery process. • research on the implementation, dissemination, and By connecting researchers with multiple stakeholders, sustainability of evidence-based programs, practices, and scientists come to understand the community’s most urgent guidelines; and needs and develop studies to address those challenges. • research and development on the translational process “Many programs intended to benefit children, youth, elders, itself, studying how best to move research findings into and families are not scientifically tested, and insights from practice and policy. basic research are rarely used systematically to guide the The center will also train the next generation of scholars in development of new programs,” Eckenrode said. “When translational research methods through coursework and research is translated into practice, the process is often too community projects for Cornell undergraduate and graduate slow and unsystematic. It is precisely these problems that students. translational research is intended to address, and this is where Sept. 22–23, the BCTR hosted the third biennial Urie the BCTR will make unique contributions.” Bronfenbrenner Conference, with speakers from across the More than 50 Cornell social and behavioral scientists, as country presenting research on the event’s theme, “The well as professional and support staff members, are affiliated Neuroscience of Risky Decision Making.” • • • with the BCTR, which will seek to partner with Cornell
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Human Ecology • Cornell University
Valerie Reyna and Charles Brainerd
Researchers Connect Gene to Precondition for Alzheimer’s
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College of Human Ecology scientists have shown for the first time a significant correlation between a human gene and the risk for mild cognitive impairment (MCI), often a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease and related forms of dementia. The findings could help doctors to recommend simple preventive measures for at-risk patients, including healthy diet, exercise, and intellectual activity—all of which may forestall and even prevent chronic symptoms associated with the disease, said lead authors Charles Brainerd and Valerie Reyna, professors of human development. The professors, with researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., linked the ε4 allele of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype to a greater likelihood of the onset of MCI in the July 4 issue of the journal Neuropsychology. The Cornell part of the research was supported by the National Institutes of Health. “We’re excited about these findings, because they help identify the segment of the population who will most benefit from effective treatments to prevent Alzheimer’s-type dementia,” Brainerd said. The clinical applications of linking this genetic marker with MCI are far-reaching, Brainerd pointed out, because genetic testing can now be added to the neuropsychological tests that are currently the only way to identify MCI. “What is at stake is whether genetic testing is useful for determining MCI susceptibility and candidacy for treatments that are designed to prevent or forestall/treat MCI (and therefore prevent Alzheimer’s dementia),” the authors write. “If not, neuropsychological testing remains the only reliable means of identification.” Prior studies have been inconclusive, owing to limits of their subject populations. In the new study, the researchers identified the link between the ε4 allele and the risk of MCI by analyzing a large dataset from the National Institute on Aging’s Health
and Retirement Study (HRS), which accurately represents older adults from all regions and racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Classifying subtypes of MCI was also critical to the study’s success. Led by Dr. Ronald C. Petersen and Glenn E. Smith at the Mayo Clinic, the authors successfully identified subtypes of MCI, only one of which is the precondition for Alzheimer’s. The paper outlines how criteria for the different MCI subtypes developed by the Mayo researchers helped control for errors that have plagued previous studies attempting to identify an ε4–MCI link. By sorting the HRS subjects who have the ε4 gene into subtypes of impairment identified in Petersen’s and Smith’s work, the Cornell researchers were able to show a significant correlation between the ε4 gene and risk of the Alzheimer’s precondition, known as amnestic MCI (or a-MCI). The results specifically show that 32 percent of study subjects who had been diagnosed as a-MCI were carriers of the ε4 APOE biomarker, as compared to only 20 percent of study subjects who had been diagnosed as normal and healthy. Brainerd and Reyna have long been interested in creating new ways to identify people at high risk for developing cognitive impairment—early on, when chances for successful intervention are highest. For instance, they are currently investigating whether a decline in a particular type of recall, called reconstructive memory, presages cognitive impairment in the elderly. If successful, they hope to develop a simple, reliable, and inexpensive test that will detect cognitive decline years before the onset of major symptoms. • • •
Volume 39, Number 2
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‘One Great Idea’: 100 Years of Cornell Cooperative Extension BY GEORGE PRESTON
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Human Ecology • Cornell University
Photos courtesy of Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library
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In early winter of 1911, John H. Barron, Cornell Class of 1906, took a job with the Binghamton Chamber of Commerce as a Farm Bureau agent, where he was charged with delivering scientific findings at Cornell to the agriculture community. Barron opened New York’s first extension office in Broome County and set out in his horse and buggy to educate farmers individually and in groups. Barron’s early work gave rise to Cornell Cooperative Extension—“One Great Idea” that is being celebrated throughout 2011, the centennial of the system. Even before his appointment, however, significant outreach efforts were already underway in parts of New York under the leadership of Martha Van Rensselaer, who had been hired by Agriculture Dean Liberty Hyde Bailey in 1900 to lead a new intellectual pursuit: applying science to improve the quality of life in the home. Van Rensselaer named the new field “domestic science,” which she described as “a vital element . . . in the education of women.” With no formal home economics curriculum in place, Van Rensselaer relied on printed materials to reach New York women through the Cornell Reading Course for Farmers’ Wives. The first bulletin, Saving Steps, issued in 1901, focused on how women could conserve time and energy in homemaking. Later issues shared advice on cooking, canning, gardening, decorating, child rearing, cleaning, and other matters of the home. Women formed study clubs to discuss the materials, and hundreds wrote letters with new concerns that were addressed in subsequent bulletins. As many as 75,000 women received mailings through the reading course. Growing interest in the science of the home led in part to the formation of the Department of Home Economics, with Van Rensselaer and Flora Rose at the helm, in 1907. Seven years later, the Smith-Lever Act passed, with funding and a structure for Cooperative Extension in all states, as well as support specifically for the study of home economics. By then, New York had about 30 Farm Bureaus in place, and five counties followed a similar strategy to form corresponding Home Bureaus managed by home demonstration agents. After the United States entered World War I, home economics took on paramount importance. In a massive effort to conserve food, home demonstration agents helped New York women to plan meals free of sugar, wheat, and meat as dictated by the federal government. Cornell placed home demonstration agents in 33 counties, further broadening the vision of home economics to include rural communities and urban areas. Agents were pressed into service to assist in issues such as child development, public education, and poverty. The College of Home Economics formed in 1925 as the first state-chartered school of its type in the country, with Van Rensselaer and Rose acting as co-directors. In the spirit of the
In the early 1900s, new modes of transportation allowed home economists to reach cities and towns across New York. Pictured: Martha Van Rensselaer at the wheel of Cornell’s first extension car; women learning about domestic matters at a railcar traveling exhibit.
Cornell Reading Course for Farmers’ Wives, home economists continued to use print media to reach women. But outreach also took on new forms as communication and transportation methods evolved. Home economists crossed the state in railroad cars to bring traveling exhibits to rural communities. As radio took hold in the 1920s, they used the new medium as a teaching tool capable of reaching a mass audience, a practice known as “air college.” By the time of Van Rensselaer’s death in 1932, home economics had become firmly established as a field of study at Cornell and as a critical piece of the extension mission to connect the knowledge, resources, and research of Cornell to the people of New York state. The same guiding principles remain at the root of translational research programs and innovative extension practices found in the College of Human Ecology today. George Preston ’72 is a senior communications advisor for Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Iscol Program Marks 10 Years of Inspiring Students to Serve
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Since she graduated from Cornell, Chakira Branch ’08 has dedicated herself to serving inner-city youth as a volunteer in her hometown of New York City. In 2009, she was sworn in by Mayor Michael Bloomberg as one of 193 inaugural members of New York City Civic Corps, a program to support local nonprofits and to grow the city’s volunteer ranks. Branch spent a year recruiting volunteers for the Mentoring Children of Prisoners program run by Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City. She later aided in the development of Bigs United and High Impact Alliance, two new organizations committed to mentoring young people. For Branch, her drive to serve youth started in 2007 at Cornell, when she interned with The Renaissance University for Community Education (TRUCE), an after-school program in Harlem. The experience “opened my eyes to many of the unfair disadvantages that youth have in urban communities,” said Branch, who grew up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Ever since, she has been drawn to “teach youth the values of education, activism, and commitment to their community.” Branch’s triumphs as a community leader are the sort of success story Jill and Ken Iscol hoped for when they funded the Iscol Family Program for Leadership Development in Public Service in 2001. (Ken Iscol is a 1960 graduate of Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.) Based in the College of Human Ecology, the program seeks to inspire and educate Cornell students to become leaders in civic engagement through internships and annual campus visits by luminaries in public service. The Iscol Summer Internships in Public Service were initiated in 2007; to date, Branch and 45 other Cornell students have worked with community groups in underserved areas. On Sept. 26, the Iscol program marked its 10th anniversary by welcoming as Cornell’s annual Iscol Fellow Josh Tetrick ’04, chief executive officer of 33needs, a microcredit web platform that allows everyday people
to invest in social enterprises around the globe. Tetrick met with students interested in social entrepreneurship and delivered a public lecture, “Connect Your Future to Change.” While on campus, Jill Iscol shared information about her new book, Hearts on Fire: Twelve Stories of Today’s Visionaries Igniting Idealism into Action, which was inspired in part by her interactions with Iscol fellows and students. John Eckenrode, the co-director of the Iscol program, credited the Iscols for supporting a program that “builds on a strong tradition of public service at the university and among our students.” Eckenrode, professor of human development and director of the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research, added, “Our students learn that service goes far beyond volunteering—that to build and sustain a successful public service program calls on all the talent, vision, and energy that leads to success in any other profession. We hope that the small seeds sown with this program will grow in many vigorous and exciting ways once our students leave Cornell.” Among the notable speakers in the annual lecture series have been Michelle Rhee ’92, former chancellor of Washington, D.C., public schools; Bill Shore, founder of Share Our Strength; Ken Grouf ’93, founder and former coexecutive director of City Year New York; and Sara Horowitz ’84, founder of Working Today—Freelancers Union. • • •
Chakira Branch (left) works on a service project as a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City. Volume 39, Number 2
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New Faculty Members Infuse College with Diverse Expertise
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Cornell is hiring new faculty members at an unprecedented rate—with the goal of hiring up to 100 professors by the university’s sesquicentennial in 2015. The College of Human Ecology is already a key contributor to this university-wide effort, particularly in attracting new faculty to work on such major cross-college collaborations as neuroscience and human development; and health behaviors, health economics, and disparities. Ten new scholars are committed to join the college in the 2011–2012 academic year. “We are pleased to have such a talented, diverse group of scholars joining our faculty. They have very impressive credentials and will strengthen the college’s teaching, research, and outreach in key multidisciplinary areas. I expect this group to have a profound impact on the future of the college,” said Alan Mathios, the Rebecca Q. and James C. Morgan Dean. Meet five of the newest Human Ecology professors: Anthony Burrow, assistant professor, human development Academic focus: the influence of racial identity on psychosocial adjustment, purpose in life among youth Previous positions: assistant professor, Department of Psychology, Loyola University of Chicago, 2007–2011; postdoctoral research fellow, Multicultural Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, 2005–2007 Academic background: B.A., psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1998; M.S., developmental psychology, Florida International University, 2002; Ph.D., developmental psychology, Florida International University, 2005 I chose Human Ecology: because of its conceptually diverse and interdisciplinary departments, and because the many scholars (past and present) in human development, in particular, who have influenced how I think about and approach my own work. http://www.humec.cornell.edu/bio.cfm?netid=alb325 Jintu Fan, professor and chair, fiber science & apparel design (starting January 1, 2012) Academic focus: interaction between the human body, clothing, and environment, and on that basis, the development of apparel with enhanced comfort and aesthetic appeal Previous positions: associate head and professor, Institute of Textiles and Clothing, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2005–2011; associate professor, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2001–2005; assistant professor, Hong Kong Polytechnic University 1996–2001 Academic background: B.S., textile engineering, China Textile University, 1985; Ph.D., clothing science, University of Leeds, 1989; D.Sc., clothing science, University of Leeds, 2011 I chose Human Ecology: because of its excellent scholarly environment and potential of trans-disciplinary research. www.humec.cornell.edu/bio.cfm?netid=jf456
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Human Ecology • Cornell University
Jane Mendle, assistant professor, human development Academic focus: adolescent psychopathology and risk-taking, psychological changes over the course of puberty Previous positions: assistant professor, Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, 2008–2011; predoctoral clinical psychology internship, Weill Cornell Medical College, 2007–2008 Academic background: B.A., psychology, Amherst College, 1998; M.A., clinical psychology, University of Virginia, 2004; Ph.D., clinical psychology, University of Virginia, 2008 I chose Human Ecology: because of the caliber of the students at Cornell and the inspiring research of the other human development faculty members. I feel very lucky to be here. http://www.humec.cornell.edu/bio.cfm?netid=jem482 Huiju Park, assistant professor, fiber science & apparel design Academic focus: smart clothing, functional apparel, sportswear design, mobility and thermal comfort of clothing Previous positions: research associate, Institute for Protective Apparel Research and Technology, Oklahoma State University, 2007–2011; instructor, Department of Design, Housing, and Merchandising, Oklahoma State University, 2010–2011 Academic background: B.S., clothing and textiles, Yonsei University, South Korea, 1997; M.S., clothing and textiles, Yonsei University, 2002; Ph.D., design, housing, and merchandising, Oklahoma State University, 2011 I chose Human Ecology: because I was inspired by the vision of the department and college, as well as impressed with the collaborative research environment, enthusiastic faculty, and hard-working students. www.humec.cornell.edu/bio.cfm?netid=hp347 Nicolas Ziebarth, assistant professor, policy analysis and management Academic focus: health economics, labor economics, microeconometrics Previous positions: research associate and chair for applied empirical economic research, Berlin University of Technology, Germany, 2010–2011; research associate, Socioeconomic Panel Study Department, German Institute for Economic Research, 2010–2011 Academic background: B.S., economics, Humboldt-University Berlin, 2003; M.S., economics, Berlin University of Technology, 2006; Ph.D., economics, Berlin University of Technology/German Institute for Economic Research, 2011 I chose Human Ecology: because it is a vibrant, outstanding place to conduct research and for my fields of specialization, one of the best places worldwide; the faculty members are extremely kind and helpful; and it has a great personal atmosphere. www.humec.cornell.edu/bio.cfm?netid=nrz2
Afterword Facilities that Fit the College’s Long-Term Mission
B BY KAY OBENDORF
Building spaces that successfully advance the studentcentered mission of the College of Human Ecology requires a unique approach to facilities planning. By accepting the challenge to develop spaces to support the growth of innovative research in fields from neuroscience to historical and contemporary fashion, our facilities team works closely with the faculty, staff, and students to create spaces that serve the college and the broader Cornell community. In 1990, the college leadership began work on a comprehensive facilities plan that has contributed greatly to the college’s long-term vision to lead in multidisciplinary, field-based research, innovative teaching, and outreach and extension efforts. Since that time, new construction, renovations, and technology upgrades in the college’s long-time home, Martha Van Rensselaer (MVR) Hall, and Savage Hall, a hub for the Division of Nutritional Sciences, aim to keep pace with the growth of our research and teaching programs. The addition of the new Human Ecology Building (nearly 89,000 sq. ft.) this year replaces the equivalent amount of space lost when the MVR North Building, in the same location, was determined to be unsound and closed in 2001. Still, the addition of the new building is just one large milestone in an ongoing series of renovations and updates to college buildings anticipated in the facilities master plan that guides the growth of our facilities. Even before the loss of MVR North, it was clear that growing expectations for more space and technology required a forward-looking philosophy that guarantees that our facilities meet the evolving needs of our college. The success of our research and teaching programs is due to our incredibly ingenious faculty members, who seek to collaborate around key issues and lead research in many new directions. Our facilities plan will continue to involve faculty members and students in a way that ensures that our facilities keep pace with their innovation and scholarship. For example, the facilities plan anticipated that the success of new faculty members would depend on more lab space and more access to equipment for them and postdoctoral researchers, along with greater opportunities to share ideas and collaborate with peers. The facilities coming on line now and in the next five years will accommodate the needs of a large cohort of new professors, as the college works to replace nearly 20 percent of its faculty due to an unusually large number of expected retirements.
As this issue of Human Ecology explains, students have not had to wait for new spaces to be built to learn from them. In fact, the ambitious facilities upgrades and renovations currently underway benefit from student-led design teams. Many elements of the facilities that the Class of 2015 is now enjoying were envisioned and created by earlier classes—just as this freshman class will likely influence the next phase of construction currently underway in MVR, including reconfiguration of office and research space for multiple departments and the integration of a whole-body 3 Tesla (3T) magnetic resonance imaging/spectroscopy system (fMRI) as the centerpiece of a neuroscience research center that serves the university community. Meeting our college’s facilities demands continues to be a long-term challenge. As the research programs at the college continue to evolve, so do the requirements of new faculty members and their classroom curricula. As a result of a
proactive facilities plan, the spaces that serve the college’s missions are a magnet for collaboration and, for students, they help to make multidisciplinary approaches to learning and discovery abundant. Kay Obendorf is senior associate dean for research and graduate education and a professor of fiber science & apparel design.
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The graceful curving lines of the new Human Ecology Building’s terrace enhance the view of Beebe Lake.